Airbnb Living Room Ideas

If you have an Airbnb property, whether it’s your own home that you rent out when you’re away, or you have a holiday home you can let, you’ll want to maximize its rental potential.

In an age of digital photos and online reviews, it’s important that your Airbnb rental is showcased to its highest potential. You want your property to look smart, enticing and somewhere people will want to stay.

The living room is somewhere your guests will want to hang out between excursions or can gather the family in the evening. So make sure you have done all you can to get that five star review you deserve!

The Right Living Room Furniture

Ensure Comfortable Seating

In any holiday rental, comfortable seating is crucial. When you’re young you may not notice so much but anyone over the age of thirty is going to notice uncomfortable seats they sit in for a length of time!

So it’s important that the sofas and chairs you choose for your living room are ones you’d be happy to sit on and watch a movie or two. 

You might like to think about the color. Darker and mid-colors are more forgiving of marks. And a stain resistant or hard wearing fabric is a good idea.

To maximize the sleeping space, you might want to consider a sofa bed so you can accommodate more guests into your rental.

Add a Coffee Table

As well as looking stylish in your Airbnb living room, a coffee table is a really practical piece of furniture.

It gives your guests somewhere to put their drinks and dishes. Note – make sure you have some stylish drinks coasters handy. This means guests are less likely to put cups on the floor and therefore you’re less likely to have spillages to deal with.

Also, you can add a book, perhaps a large photographic book on architecture or about the area you live in. You can also leave a guide to your property, for example what to do with the trash, how the oven works etc. 

And you could put together some brochures for activities and places to see in the locale. Leaving them on the coffee table makes them easy to pick up and leaf through.

How About Space to Work?

In these days of digital nomads and remote working, not to mention most guests wanting to check-in on their messages, it can be worth adding a desk to your living room if you have the space. 

You’ll need to have a decent Wi-Fi connection as this will be expected in all but the most remote places. So set up a workstation with a smart desk with space for a laptop, and a comfy chair to sit in. 

If you clearly display the Wi-Fi password, and add a few items of stationery then you’ll be giving an additional thoughtful experience within your rental.

Make the Most of a Fireplace

If you have a fireplace, then make the most of it by positioning seating near it, or around this focal point. You can decorate a mantle with a vase and some tall stems on one side and balance it with a smaller item or group of ornaments on the other. 

If you have a woodburning stove then accessorize with some cozy blankets on your seating to make the most of the Scandinavian aesthetic.

If you have a working fire then all the better. Make sure you leave enough logs or fuel and instructions on how to light and clean the fire.

Give Your Guests a Reading Nook

Isn’t it delicious to curl up on vacation and read a book? Then give your guests a gorgeous reading nook so they can escape into the pages of the latest bestseller in a characterful, comfortable area of your rental.

All you need is a quiet corner or a window seat. Then add a comfy armchair and a small bookcase with its own little library. It’s easy to find books others no longer want for free or for a small cost, perhaps from a thrift store or garage sale. 

You could also encourage a book swap so guests leave books they’ve finished and take those they’ve started.

Airbnb Living Room Accessories

Have Fun with Mirrors

Your guests are going to want a place to stay that is not only a home from home, but one that offers more. They will expect attention to details and design so plain walls, unless you are the king or queen of minimalism, are a no no.

Look at the space and the walls and ensure you have dressed them to their best effect. A large ornate mirror is great for adding light and character. Or experiment with two or three similar design mirrors fixed in groups. 

Make Your Own Living Room Gallery

It needn’t cost the earth to install an interesting collection of artworks on the wall of your rental living room. Many discount stores sell picture frames for a dollar or two and many come with cardboard mounts. 

Then for the art you want to display, you can go online to see what offers are available on fun prints. If you’re creative, you can make your own art with some paper and paints.

Or for an art cheat, buy cool art greetings cards and frame them. You can pick these up from galleries and museums at a fraction of the cost of prints and they look just as good.

Make sure you take time lining up your art to frame it, then arrange the display on the floor or a table so you know where each picture will go before fixing it to the wall. You can check some tips for hanging pictures on your wall like a pro.

Create a Home from Home with Some Plants

Some interesting foliage and greenery will make your Airbnb rental seem homely and less stark. So consider the kind of decor you have and add plants in pots in a similar theme.

You may add a little note asking guests to kindly water the plants or do this in the period between lets. Also make sure to remove dead leaves and keep plants tidy and trimmed.

Add a Striking Rug

A rug not only gives a softness and warmth underfoot on wood or tile flooring but it can tie in elements of your decor and complete a design scheme.

Picking a large rug will look decadent and will add a richness to a larger space. Take into account colors and textures of the rest of the decor to make this a showpiece item to wow your guests.

AirBnb Living Room Lighting

A single light bulb in the center of the room won’t cut it in today’s competitive holiday rental market, so think about the lighting you choose to install.  

There is a trend for pairs or multiples of ceiling lights, so try those designer ideas. Or you could add an unusual modern light fitting that looks more like an artwork than a utilitarian practicality.

Select Some Darling Table Lamps

Great for adding mood lighting to a room, some carefully chosen table lamps can add atmosphere to your Airbnb living room.

Make sure the lamps you choose coordinate with your furniture and accessories. A large ceramic lamp base can be a bold statement piece within your scheme.

Room Design and Layout

Set the Scene

Be sure to arrange your furniture in a way that not only is practical but which also has a professional touch.

If this is not your natural talent then have a look at interiors magazines and websites to note the way rooms are laid out. Group objects in twos or threes, add interesting cushions and blankets, and angle tables and other furniture to make the most of the space.

Dress for the Space

It’s important that you present your living room in the way guests expect. So if you have a cozy country idyll, you will want some cozy, traditional touches.

If you have a modern city apartment then it’s worth adding some cutting edge art or a designer style sofa. And if you have an older property, it’s ideal to lean on the period features such as high ceilings, a fireplace or an exposed stone wall. 

So consider the age and location of your property when it comes to dressing your living room to make sure those pictures deliver on how you are marketing your Airbnb.

In Closing

An Airbnb living room is probably going to be where your guests spend the most time so make sure it is a comfortable, inviting space.

To get the highest rating for your rental you’ll need to ensure you have paid attention to your layout, the furniture you have selected and the general decor including accessories.

Using some practical tips, you can make your living room an Airbnb dream, one that will get you lots of bookings and more importantly, first class reviews!